Maple Leafs in Free Agency: Editor in Leaf Roundtable

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to add to their team in Free Agency.

Saturday July 1st is the first day that teams can officially sign free-agents.  Along with the Trade Deadline and the Entry Draft, Free Agency Day is the most celebrated non-game event on the NHL calendar.  After failing to swing any deals at the draft (or perhaps choosing not to) the Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to make a splash in free agency.

At least we hope so.

The class this year is alright, as far as UFA day goes.  Since the salary cap, star players in their prime hardly ever make it to market.  There is never a bunch of really good players available, but there are always pieces that can help your team.

Kevin Shattenkirk leads the way, and there is also Joe Thornton , Justin Williams, Nail Yakupov , Karl Alzner (please no) and more.

With anticipation running high, the staff of Editor in Leafs gathered around our giant round table and discussed who the Toronto Maple Leafs should sign.

As always, we encourage you to tell us what you think in the comments.

Andrew Boehmer:  Michael Stone

The UFA I want the Toronto Maple Leafs to target is Michael Stone.

Ya, ya, I know people don’t like him.  If, however, there is limited interest, maybe the Leafs could get him at a discount.  Maybe sign him to a one or two year contract, and Bob’s your uncle.

I think that big body would help spread the load a bit and he’s mobile enough that he wouldn’t be a liability. If all else fails and the Leafs can’t get a decent UFA or make a trade, resign Polak.

Alex Hobson: Michael Stone

I would love to see the Leafs pursue Michael Stone on a three year deal or around that sort of term.

He is only 26, has good size and is right handed. Stone has a hard shot and can hit.  He is good on the power-play and an offensive threat. He would make a good placeholder in the top four until Liljegren is ready.

D.J Llewellyn: Justin Williams

A UFA I would like to see the Leafs target is Justin Williams.

The chance to add a 20 goal, 50 point player and veteran with his resume is certainly worthwhile on a short deal. His cap hit last year was $3.25 million so he likely won’t cost a fortune, and the Leafs have cap space.

Williams can put up points and has intangibles out the yin-yang for people that desire a leader who can show the the kids how to win.  Williams is a consistent 5v5 scorer, and playoff performer, who drives possession and helps teams win.

The Toronto Maple Leafs should definitely sign him.

Lauren Kelly: Anders Nilsson

The free agent I’d like to see the Leafs target on Friday is Anders Nilsson.

The Toronto Maple Leafs need a backup goaltender and Nilsson put up pretty decent numbers last season in Buffalo. He played 26 games and had a .923 save percentage (a career high).  Consider that  the Sabres were a team that struggled to keep pucks away from the net, and that sounds even better.

Nillson’s current contract was for 1-year, $1-million, and because of his success last year on a mediocre Sabres team, he’ll likely be looking for a slight raise.  The risk the Leafs run into having here is that there’s a chance Nilsson will regress from his career year.

His career save percentage is .908, but it’s still an upgrade from Curtis McElhinney, whose career save percentage is .905. Both goalies also have very similar goals against average stats (Nilsson – 2.94, McElhinney – 2.95), but GAA generally tends to reflect the team’s performance as a whole.

If Nilsson plays the way he did last season, the Leafs will have an excellent backup goalie that they can trust and rely on. If he can’t, then it will hopefully be a one-year contract that won’t do too much damage in the long run.

James Tanner:  Shattenkirk + Yakupov + Thornton

Forget how long it’s been since the Toronto Maple Leafs won a Stanley Cup – when was the last time they were even one of the best teams in the league?

If the Leafs sign Kevin Shattenkirk, they’ll be close to having one of, if not the actual best rosters in the NHL.

Everyone preaches patience and talks as if the Leafs have years to try and get this thing right.

They don’t.

They have two.  They should be smart, but they shouldn’t be patient. The time for patience has passed: While Nylander, Matthews and Marner have the lowest possible cap hits, the Leafs have to go all-in.

I don’t even know how this is a debate.  The Salary Cap has changed how an NHL team builds a winner.  Teams that can have elite talent on entry-level deals have a massive advantage.  If one of those players is Auston Matthews, then doubly so.

Given that you mostly aquire those players by drafting high, and thus being a bad team, most of the  teams that even have these players are not able to compete while their stars are young.

The Leafs, however, were blessed with JVR, Andersen, Kadri, Gardiner.  That is four all-star caliber players in their primes, and on significantly team-friendly contracts.

To combine those players, along with Zaitsev, Reilly and Bozak, with the ‘big three’ making hardly any money, plus having additional cheap/good players in Hyman, Brown, Kapanen, the Leafs are set up to succeed like no team in the history of the NHL’s salary cap era.

The Toronto Maple Leafs would have won their division last season had they had even just neutral luck as far as overtime games are concerned.  They nearly beat the best team in the NHL in the first round of the playoffs and they have a TON OF CURRENT CAP ROOM.

There will never, ever, be a better chance to ice  a stacked team.

That is why they should sign Kevin Shattenkrik.

And Joe Thornton.

And Nail Yakupov.

And worry about the consequences when they’re mopping up the champagne.

Justin Cait: Cody Franson

It’s no secret the Leafs are on the hunt for a No. 1 right-handed defenseman (RD). I don’t believe free agency is the place where Toronto will find that guy.

However, there are some good options. One of those options is signing a dependable RD on a short term, low risk contract. While the pool is shallow, there are a few UFAs that could step in and fill the RD void for the time being.

Enter ex-Leaf Cody Franson. After coming off of a season in which he was debatably the Buffalo Sabres’ best defenseman (which, honestly, really isn’t saying a lot), Franson wouldn’t be a terrible Plan B for Toronto.

Franson is a veteran presence that’s familiar with playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs and has assets to offer.  He plays controlled minutes, suppresses shots and creates offense.

Signing a defenseman that will enhance the blue line for the short term could be the silver lining for the Leafs’ potential inability to find their top line right-handed defenseman in a timely manner.

Bruce Harte Ashley: Simon Despres

Toronto Maple Leafs should sign Simon Despres.

I recently did a piece on why the Toronto Maple Leafs should sign Simon Despres. He is a 6’4, 225lb., fleet of foot puck moving defenceman. He is a lefty but moved to the right side meshing with Cam Fowler during the rest of the 2014-15 season and the playoffs.

Not every lefty is comfortable on their off side however Despres is. Due to his physical strength and skating abilities, Despres is comfortable playing on the right.  He would look great alongside Jake Gardiner.

Despres has had some injury problems and was recently bought out by the Ducks.   Nevertheless, if healthy, he is a perfect stop-gap option for Lamoriello.

While Despres is not known for his offensive prowess, from my observations, his greatest strength is his skating and mobility which is excellent for a man of his size. He is a beast at preventing shots. That is the Leafs major weakness.

Above all, Despres has a high hockey IQ. He thinks the game fast and well. While not a physical presence, his skating allows him to recover quickly and break-up zone entries, separate opponents from the puck while turning the play quickly up ice. Using a quick stick and positioning to defend, Despers has a knack for closing down lanes and disrupting the oppositions cycle. Think of a faster, younger  Cody Franson.

The Leafs greatest weaknesses are Simon Despres greatest strengths. His style of play works well with the Leafs up tempo possession driven play of the Toronto Maple Leafs..